A new laptop was needed and as much my choice on the newly released Acer S3 Ultrabook. My choice influenced mainly the criteria "small", "easy" and therefore "portable". Netbooks were me for a computer science degree, but too small.
When unpacking first falls at a time that the laptop is thin. Very thin and very light. It is a plug which is a lot less well than from previous generations laptop. In addition, a manual lies, but you do not necessarily need. There is no setup DVD as the Ultrabook anyway does not have a DVD drive.
The first impression is very positive. The deck lid consists of brushed aluminum and looks very classy. The remainder of the envelope is made of a gray plastic, but by no means seems cheap but fits positively into the overall picture. The connectors are attached to the back (except the combined headphone / microphone port, which is located on the side. Existing connections are one HDMI and two USB 2.0 ports (why was not used here USB 3.0, is beyond me. Also located on the side of an SD card reader. The keys are quite flat, but you get used to it. To me it happens but once in a while that I press a key twice. The trackpad is not as great as with Macs, but pleasant to use. The keys are attached here in the lower corners.
When you first start you have to make some adjustments, but that does not take long. What bothers me a lot that laptops apparently no longer do without preinstalled stuff. The one can confidently uninstall or simply ignore. The fast wake up from the sleep mode can not always keep the laptop. Sometimes he is ready to go, but sometimes he also needs a few seconds (no more than 5) and the complete startup takes his time, but in spite of everything goes a lot faster than other models. Battery life is at desktop Anwedungen about 4 hours, in film and demanding things that can fall but also to 2 hours. Here I would have expected a little more.
The trackpad has similar functions as we know it from Macs ago. Two-finger scroll, zoom, scroll up and down. Overall, movements fall but not as smooth as with Macs, but still very good.
With the keyboard arrow keys are arg small, which can interfere with the program because I'm used to navigate using the arrow keys in the code. But also because I got used to.
Actually, the laptop is not meant for games, but in my free time I play and be happy. Because of the rather modest hardware I was therefore all the more surprised when I've tried a few games.
Games with Source engine can be (after what I've tested) with high settings games (the engine is a bit dated). In addition, I have played BioShock 2 (here only low to medium settings) and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 on medium settings (which has very surprised). Who has not very high demands and like "older" games played, also comes along well with the Ultrabook. More demanding games are here but not playable, but the laptop was not built.
In summary, I can say for myself that I made the perfect choice. The Ultrabook is very portable, very light and thin and has a reasonable battery life, which could be a bit better though. The operation turns out very well, and from the sleep mode, it wakes up within a few seconds (sometimes faster than you can open the lid). It also run some not hardware-hungry games (Source engine: Half-Life 2, Portal 2, Left for Dead 2, Call of Duty MW3, etc.)
What some might disturb is that there is no USB 3.0 port and the slots are ngebracht at the back, which leads to some fumbling, if you want to connect a USB device.
For me as a student but an excellent and affordable choice.
Update:
Heise I read an article that the SSD cache in the Acer S3 is only for quick start from the sleep mode and thus for example no HDD accesses are accelerated. As advertised by Amazon to programs therefore should not be necessarily faster start.
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